Place Names of Brazil : Research, Reflections and Important Aspects

Abstract

Place names are testimonies of culture settlement and occupation of a territory. The historical study of the toponimy, which the term geonimy will be associated from now, allows establishing the genealogy of human occupation, as well as showing an evolution of area occupation, through its density.The natural link between Geonimy and Cartography goes to historical and old maps study, once they are characterized as temporary storage files.This paper aims to show the importance of place names study in all relevant aspects, as well as to motivate the retaking studies and researches on Brazilian Geonimy. In this way, the researches will be taken cartographical, geographical, historical, ethnographical and etymological aspects of geonimy in Brazilian territory genesis. It will be considered also geographical indications and its economical importance.At the end it is showed the importance to creating a National Authority of Geographical Names in Brazil , coming to normalize and to protect the national geonimy.

Keywords

• Place names
• Geographical Names
• Data Base in geographical names
• National Authority in Geographical Names.